Kenneth S. James

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Stephens, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm was founded in 1933 and is a subsidiary of Susi Holdings, Inc., which is owned by Stephens Financial Services LLC. Stephens provides comprehensive securities sales and trading services, including customized solutions for clients in North America and abroad.

Case Western Reserve University provides educational services. It offers a variety of undergraduate degree courses and graduate and professional options such as arts and sciences, dentistry, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, social work, and more. The firm also offers dual-degree programs. The company was founded in 1826 and is headquartered in Cleveland, OH.

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. is a registered investment bank and broker/dealer headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded in 1983 and is a subsidiary of KeyCorp. (NYSE: KEY). KeyBanc Capital Markets provides investment banking, commercial lending, treasury management, derivatives, foreign exchange, equity and debt underwriting and trading and syndicated finance products and services to large corporations and middle-market companies.

Founded in 1986, Merriman Capital, Inc. is an SEC-registered broker/dealer and investment banking firm headquartered in San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary of Merriman Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MERR), a financial services firm that focuses on fast-growing companies and their institutional investors. Merriman provides advisory and investment banking, equity research, institutional services, corporate services and venture services primarily to corporate clients. Merriman Capital provides research, brokerage and trading services primarily to institutional clients. The firm offers a full range of specialized and integrated services including: equity research, specialized trade execution, equity capital markets, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, sales and trading, market making, corporate and venture services, restructurings and strategic advisory services. Merriman Capital employs bottom-up, fundamental analysis of small-cap companies in select industries including clean technology, healthcare, technology and consumer/Internet/media. The firm also has expertise in emerging markets, with emphasis on emerging markets in China. Merriman Capital is known to engage in shareholder activist investment strategies. Merriman Capital is a member of the NASD, the SIPC and FINRA. The firm serves as an introducing broker/dealer for Pershing LLC. They do not hold or maintain funds or securities or provide clearing services for other broker/dealers.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Founded in 1990, Dowling & Partners is an SEC-registered, institutional broker/dealer headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. The firm focuses on the U.S. reinsurance industry including property and casualty insurance, life insurance and health insurance. They offer a full array of investment services. Dowling & Partners' research is weighted toward larger, publicly-traded insurers, reinsurers and intermediaries. The firm places emphasis on balance sheet strength and areas of sustained competitive advantage and makes extensive use of the statutory books filed with state insurance departments. Dowling & Partners is a member of FINRA. Their transactions are introduced and cleared through Pershing LLC.

Moors & Cabot, Inc. (MCI) is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded by John F. Moors and Charles Cabot in 1890 to handle the personal investments of the two founders and their friends. They became a solely owned subsidiary of Eighteen Ninety Partners LLC in 2022. MCI provides brokerage execution services to their advisory client participating in Portfolio Management Program (PMP).

A subsidiary of Davenport & Co., Davenport Securities is a broker/dealer headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The firm provides a full array of investment services including comprehensive stock and bond brokerage, investment management, research, financial planning, insurance, public finance and corporate finance services. Their research includes coverage of several sectors including healthcare & special situations, media/telecommunications/technology, metals, REITs, specialty finance, technology, financial, energy, consumer staples, consumer discretionary, capital goods & construction materials, and business and professional services. They research local and regional firms making recommendations based on assessments of a company and the industry, regional and national trends, visits to the business, and meetings with the management. In addition to in-house research, Davenport uses several nationally-recognized research firms to provide them with investment information for larger national and international companies. They are a member of the SIPC.

FHN Financial Securities Corp. is a FINRA-registered broker/dealer headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. They are the brokerage arm of First Tennessee Bank, ultimately owned by First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE: FHN). Formerly known as FTN Financial Securities Corp., the firm was founded in 1998 and offers fixed income sales and trading services to individual and institutional clients.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is a full-service brokerage and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. They are a direct subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp. and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE, NYSE: RY). Founded in 2010, the firm is comprised of 3 major business lines: the Private Client Group, the Fixed-Income Group and the Clearing and Execution Services Group. The Private Client Group serves individual investors, while the Fixed-Income Group provides services to institutions, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Clearing and Execution Services Group is a provider of clearing and execution services to independent brokers/dealers throughout the US. RBC Capital Markets focuses on the following sectors: communications, media, consumer/retail, diversified industries, energy, financial institutions, forest products, healthcare, infrastructure finance, mining & metals, real estate, social infrastructure, technology and the US municipal markets.

Ernst & Young provides accounting services. Its services include auditing, accounting, tax and transaction services, assurance and advisory business, online transaction advisory and a wide range of financial services. The company was founded by Arthur Young and Alwin C. Ernst in 1881 and is headquartered in Kansas City, MO.

UBS Financial Services, Inc. is a registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Weehawken, New Jersey. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UBS Americas Inc., ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG; NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. Founded in 1969, UBS Financial Services provides investment advisory services to individuals, banks, thrift institutions, mutual funds and other investment companies, pension and employee benefit plans, trusts, estates, charities, corporations and other business and government entities.

Deloitte & Touche LLP engages in the provision of audit, advisory, financial advisory, tax, and consulting services. The company was founded on March 7, 1995 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Compass Point Research & Trading LLC (Compass Point) is a registered broker-dealer and full-service investment banking firm headquartered in Washington, DC. The firm was founded by Scott Dreyer in 2007 and is owned by Sooner Holdings LLC. Compass Point provides investment banking, research, and sales and trading services to institutional investors. Their clients include investment advisors, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutional accounts located in the US, Canada and Europe.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC provides assurance, tax and advisory services. Its services include audit and assurance, consulting, deals, human resources, legal, tax, and family business. The firm also offers accountability, risk management, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

Wedbush Securities, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1955 as Wedbush Morgan Securities, Inc. They are a subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services LLC, which is owned by Wedbush, Inc. Wedbush Securities provides a wide range of securities brokerage, wealth management, and investment banking services to private and institutional clients. Their research focuses on providing coverage of small and mid-sized companies in the following industries: (1) consumer products and services (2) technology (3) entertainment and media (4) life sciences and (5) industrial growth and clean technology.

Morningstar, Inc. (Research) is the investment research arm of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), an American financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Joseph Mansueto in 1984 and provides independent portfolio information offering star ratings and analysis of managed funds. They also provide economic commentary and asset allocation information based on qualitative research.

Hovde Group LLC is a leading boutique investment bank that has been providing advisory services to the financial services sector for over 30 years. The private company offers a full suite of investment banking, capital markets, research, equity sales, and trading services to its clients, including institutional and retail investors, community and regional banks, and other financial companies located throughout the United States. The company is based in Inverness, IL, and has subsidiaries in the United States. Hovde Group consistently ranks among the bank sector's top M&A and capital markets advisory firms, is a leading market maker of community and regional bank stocks, and produces high-quality research from award-winning analysts. The American company was founded in 1987 by Steven Donald Hovde, who has been the CEO since then.

Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. (Broker) (Boenning & Scattergood-Broker) is the registered broker-dealer division of Boenning & Scattergood, Inc., a financial services firm headquartered in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The firm was founded by Henry D. Boenning in 1914. Boenning & Scattergood-Broker provides retail investors, municipal clients, and institutions a full complement of financial services, including retail brokerage, investment advisory, equity research, equity and fixed income sales and trading, investment banking, public finance, and option strategy.